Life behind enemy lines
by thekeeperofwords
Summary: Sequel A Sacrifice For a Friend. Kel is held prisoner in Scanra, chafing at the bit put on her by the Peace Treaty that puts her under Mggur's mercy. EPILOGUE UP
1. imprisoned

Over the last week Kel felt as if she had been living in a nightmare. In order to spare Tortall from more war, she had sacrificed herself in part of a treaty with King Maggur and King Jonathan. According to the conventions of war, Kel's friends couldn't attempt a rescue without flouting the treaty. She also couldn't be ransomed, because she had signed the treaty as well.

Kel would never forget that night. At the ball celebrated in her honor, King Maggur had offered to surrender the war if Tortall would forfeit the realm's second lady knight. Kel had complied. That was the night all of her friends gave her a mournful farewell. Now she sat shackled in a cell in the heart of Scanra, thinking dismal thoughts.

_Flashback--_

An escort of 15 men of the King's Own had escorted her to the Vassa River, where 15 armed Scanrans were waiting. There was no exchange of words. They just grabbed Kel, and hopped into their boats. Roughly they bound, gagged, and blindfolded her. She probably could have stopped them, but wanted to do nothing to jeopardize the agreement that the two countries had. There was something in her food that night that made her fall asleep. When she awoke, she was chained to the wall in a dreary castle. In a cell with no windows. She had no idea where she was, or what was to become of her.

On he second day of her imprisonment, a large, blond man with hard, cruel eyes came to see her. He was quite tall, and reminded her a little of Stenmun Kinslayer. He had interrogated her for quite a while, teasing her tauntingly. When he asked questions about Tortall and its Council, she refused to answer. It seemed all too suspicious that this man was so deeply interested about Tortall's strengths and weaknesses. It finally donned on her that this must be King Maggur Rathausak. The man she hated most. It seemed that fate's twists had finally brought her to her enemy, with one con. She was shackled, kneeling limply at his feet. When he finally left, Kel still had no notion of what her purpose here was. She stayed in that cell for the next 5 days. They gave her food through a slot in the door 2 times a day, and a chamber pot to relieve herself in. That was how she got to where she was now.

End flashback

well, here it starts again people! My SEQUEL! I have big plans for this story…I just hope I don't forget them! Any suggestions you have are VERY welcome.


	2. Remia Stone

Kel dropped into a fitful sleep. She tossed and turned on her dank cot, living through horrible dreams. One of them depicted Maggur sneaking into Corus and slowly killing all of her friends. She woke, gasping and sweating. Surprisingly, tears were coursing down her cheeks. For one horrible moment she looked around at her surroundings and had no idea of why she was chained in a dark cell. Soon it hit her like a brick; she was a prisoner of the Scanran's, and she had been in this cell for a little over a week. She tried to tell herself that she was here for the good of Tortall, but part of her couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that Maggur was a sly and treacherous as he was evil.

After sitting in her cell with nothing but her dismal thoughts for the remainder of that morning, Kel finally heard a key scrape in the lock of her door. Slowly the heavy iron door swung open. Kel braced herself as best she could and faced her 'guest.'

It was only King Maggur again, grinning smugly. "You can come with me now, _Lady_ Kel."

She glared at him as he shook her chains and led her out of her cell. The hallway was brightly lit, and she had to shield her eyes against the new light. After several minutes she adjusted and was brought to a cozy, warm room.

King Maggur deftly locked her to a chair and settled down on a couch.

"So, Lady Knight Keladry…"he drawled, inspecting a fingernail. "…You don't know what to expect. You're here, captive, and I can do whatever I want, because your king gave you away. What does he take me for? YOU for? You have many important friends. Even I know that. You would have even become a legend, in your own time. Just like the Lioness. But he didn't realize that, and now I have you. Doubtless your gallant friends will try to rescue…That will just ruin the _treaty._ So now you wonder what I wanted you for. And I will tell you. I don't want you. I want for your country to not have you. So you will stay in your cell, until I find a good purpose for you."

Kel trembled with rage. The NERVE of this man, to treat her as if she were a pawn! And now he sat there, calmly explaining it all. She tried her best to hide her feeling and not give him the satisfaction that he had upset her. He caught on and smiled tauntingly.

"How does that settle with your precious honor? Let me guess…Your amazing heroes will be: Lord Raoul, Oh I hope so. Duke Baird's son. A company of knights…and the King's Own? You are quite a celebrity. And don't even think that you will get away with killing Blayce the Gallan unscathed. I will have revenge, but not yet. Now would be too easy. Besides, what have you got to lose right now?"

Kel saw a flare of insanity and genius flash behind his small, cruel eyes. Before he locked her away again, she managed to spit in his face. He just laughed, which really unnerved her. Only someone very insane would laugh at that time.

Restless, Kel searched around the confines of her jail with her hands. Suddenly her fingers met with a small, even crack. She groped until she found the same crack about 3 feet away. Digging her fingernails into the small holds, she pried open a small door. Peering into her newly-discovered room, she heard a small voice call to her.

"Are you the Protector?" A small woman crept out of the shadows. She was very frail and weak.

Kel stumbled backwards. "Wh-who are you?" She managed to stutter.

"Remia Stone. And you are the Protector of the Small."

"How did you know that?" Kel accused weakly.

The small woman reached out with her hands. "I am a seeress. I can see important things in the near future. Maggur has had my imprisoned here for almost three years. Don't trust him. He will trick you."


	3. Prisoners

"What do you mean, he will trick me?" Kel accused. Carefully she lowered her voice for fear of being heard. "I don't care about what he does to me. The treaty is all that I care about."

Remia shook her head vigorously. "Think about the talk he just gave you! When will you be most vulnerable? How could he trick you? Tell me now, what do you think is going to happen to you?"

Kel sighed and rubbed her temples. "I don't know…Maybe he'll kill me, or sell me as a slave. He already told me that he didn't care about me, or if I live. He said…" Slowly, her jaw dropped. "He said that he didn't want revenge yet, because I have nothing to lose right now. But if my friends tried a rescue…" Her stomach rebelled as she registered what Maggur had said. A sick, foreboding feeling enveloped her.

"Exactly. He has already deceived you, Keladry. How far will the treaty last if your companions defy it? Then, he will have you, an aspiring legend and a savior of your country, in his hands, and also those who tried to rescue you. I have already foreseen of what is to come, Keladry. You must--"

Remia stopped as she heard the door to Kel's cell creak open. With what fragile strength she possessed, she jostled Kel through the small egress between their cells. As quietly as she could, Kel crouched next to her cot. A servant sidled into her room warily.

"A message from King Maggur to the prisoner," he said hurriedly, and produced a note.

Kel snatched the paper from his grip and grabbed the torch in his hand. Earlier that day, she would have meekly waited for the man to hand them to her, fearing to flout the contract. Now she brandished the torch and scared him out of the room. Scowling, she read the letter from Maggur.

_My _DEAR_ prisoner,_

If you would like the peace treaty to remain intact, I will require some answers on your part about King Jonathan and his advisors. Innocent things, really, considering I have already surrendered the war. So tomorrow, when I ask you my questions, you had better answer. I am warning you in advance, because I will tolerate no opposition tomorrow.

King Rathausak

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the hundredth time, Nealan of Queenscove tried futilely to escape from his window. He finally realized that it was powerfully locked from the outside. Swiftly he walked to the door of his rooms and peered through the keyhole.

"Curse you! Let me out, in Mithros's name! Why do you do this?" He pounded his fist on his door, trying to intimidate the guard stationed there.

"I can't let you out, Sir Queenscove. King's orders," replied the soldier of the Palace Guard. 

Scowling and formulating an escape plan, he sat on his bed and waited for the evening bell to ring. As he stared at the locked door, his mind began to wonder.

__

Flashback

That was it. The announcement had come out that Kel would be sacrificed as part of a peace treaty with Scanra. That night, the night of her ball, was branded into Neal's memory for all time. Kel had been so calm when they led her out of the room. That was when the mild, easy-going, quiet Raoul had been so distraught that he publicly said his farewell. All of Kel's friends had joined him. After she left, Neal, Merric, Owen, Raoul, Alanna, Faleron, Dom, Seaver, and Esmond had become so riotously drunk that they almost forgot the whole thing. When they awoke (with unbearable hangovers) all of them went into a state of denial. Finally, that wore off, and all eight of them tried to conduct a rescue of Kel. When the King got word he forbid it, explaining that it would ruin the peace treaty. Since then, all of them had to stay in their rooms at all times except for meals. When they wanted to practice or exercise, they had to get special permission. Still, wherever they went, a troupe of guards followed them. That was how Neal's life had been since Kel was taken away.

End flashback.

The evening bell was tolling. With a groan Neal rose off of his bed and waited by the door, tapping his foot impatiently until the guard let him out. As usual, he was escorted to the dining hall by four guards, and sat in his usual place. Now days, Alanna, Raoul, Neal, Owen, Merric, Dom, Seaver, and Esmond all sat together, encircled by the guards. Those who saw two of the King's best friends, one being his champion, ensued everywhere they went with guards, thought it was very peculiar, but held their tongues. Many people had celebrated Maggur's surrender since the day of the ball. Kel's friends did not.

"I tried the window, the door, my magic, even tried running away on my way down here. Nothing works." Alanna flung up her hands in frustration. Raoul bent over and whispered something in her ear. The Lionesses eyes lit up and she started muttering something under her breath. Suddenly, she glowed with violet fire and stood up.

"Let me through," she commanded the guards. They shifted weight uncomfortably, terrified to defy the Lioness.

Raoul stood up also and joined his friend. "I don't believe you heard the champion," he said softly to the soldiers. He looked over their heads and winked at a squad of the King's Own, rivals of the Palace Guard. Grinning, they stood up and stealthily snuck-up behind the squad of Palace Guard soldier.

"Now MOVE!" Wolset yelled. 

The Palace Guard soldiers jumped like scared rabbits and let Alanna through. Raoul returned to his seat.

Alanna, scowling, made her way towards were Jon, Thayet, Gary, and Cythera sat. She stopped in front of Jon.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, pointing to where the guards surrounded the knights. "Locking us up like we're criminals! I can tell where I'm not wanted, _Sire_. I'm not staying here, and there is nothing you can do to stop me. I am also bringing Raoul, because he is my best friend. Neal, because he is my former squire. And all of those other knights because they are Neal's friends and he would pine without them. Goodbye!"

She stomped back to her guards, said one word, and all of them glowed faintly purple. The soldiers stared as they were lined up against the wall, against their will, by Alanna's magic. Alanna beckoned to all of those sitting at her table. They stood up and walked out in a line behind Alanna and Raoul.


	4. Death

Kel slept very little that night. She wanted to know what Remia had to tell her, and was nervous about the next day's conference with King Maggur. She debated with herself whether or not she ought to lie to Maggur. As far as she knew, the treaty didn't mention anything about extracting information form the prisoner.

"Here I go again," said Kel, slamming her fists onto the thin mattress. "Why do I still care about that cursed treaty? For all I know, Maggur could be burning it right now, plotting ways to defeat Tortall. And what can I do about it? Nothing. Absolutely gods-cursed nothing."

_Not nothing, _the treacherous part of her mind insisted. _If you're so sure that Maggur is going to break to agreement, why don't you just kill him? Or run away?_

"I can't do that!" Kel said out loud, angry with herself. "I_ don't _know that he will break the peace agreement. If _I_ break it, then it will me _my_ fault. Either that, or the people that try to rescue me."

_Well, there is no way of knowing. You're here, and everyone else is out there!_

Kel sat up in her bed and smacked her forehead.

"What am I _doing_? I must be going crazy in this place, if I'm having conversations with myself!" Rubbing her eyes to keep them open, she tried to decide whether or not to give out the facts about Tortall. Finally she groaned out of stupidity.

"As long as I'm here, there's nothing he can do to me if I don't tell him. If he kills me, so be it. The treaty will still be safe, and only he would then be given chances to breach it. But then, if he was is still plotting against Tortall, shouldn't I be responsible for somehow warning the King?"

Her head throbbed. Her mind was under too much stress and pressure to be burdened with these problems. She curled up and clutched her knees, undecided, and waited until dawn.

Soon, the door opened and a soldier roughly led her back to the conference room. Maggur lazed in his chair, awaiting her arrival.

"Thank you, Karlok, that will be all," he informed the soldier. Karlok nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"So…Keladry…I hope you are prepared to answer my questions today. I'll start with the easy ones. How big is Tortall's army?"

Kel put in place her best, most expressionless Yamani face. "Twenty thousand men."

Maggur scowled and banged his fist on the table. "I warned you!"

"I'm answering your questions to the best of my knowledge," Kel said tonelessly.

"Fine!" Snapped Maggur. "Who is King Jonathan's closest friend?"

Kel arched her brows sarcastically. "Well, King Jonathan has MANY friends. I myself am one of his closest." She didn't bother to keep the lie from her face.

"I will not tolerate this," growled Maggur.

Kel's hands shook under the table as she fought to control her temper.

"And what are you going to do about it?" she asked, her voice deadly soft.

"You'll be sorry you asked. Guards! Take the prisoner back to her cell!"

Three guards seized her and dragged her back to her cell. Once inside, Kel crept into Remia's room, more nervous than before.

"Remia, I know for SURE that he is up to something. He said--" She stopped and reached out to grasp the lady's hand. It was cold and shaking. "Are you not well?"

Remia swallowed and grinned feebly. "Three years of imprisonment has finally taken its toll. Goodbye, Protector of the Small." With that, she was gone. Kel stared in shock at Remia's body. Tears of rage and sorrow began to flow down her cheeks. She gently placed the old lady's hands over her chest.

"Goodbye, Remia Stone."


	5. Risks

Neal scanned his room a final time, hiding a yawn. He didn't want to forget anything he might need. Reviewing his material in his head, he realized that he had forgotten to bring bribe the maps.

"Maps….Maps, where are you?" he whispered softly. It was the middle of the night, and he couldn't risk anyone hearing and warning the King of their escape. As soon as he had everything he needed, he scrawled a hasty note to Yuki and scrambled out the window. Alanna had magically forced it open.

Outside, Merric, Owen, Raoul, Alanna, Faleron, Dom, Seaver, and Esmond were all ready and waiting with their supplies, trying to carry as little as possible. 

"Come on Neal, hurry up!" Merric hissed.

Neal grabbed Magewhisper from his hiding spot and mounted up. Everyone else followed suit. Unknown, they trotted through the Lesser Gate, headed north.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kel sat by her friend's body. She wanted to cry, but could not. She urged the tears to come, yet they would not. Her world was spinning. The only solid thing was a picture of Maggur, sitting on his throne, smirking. He was responsible for all of it, she knew. Yet there wasn't really anything she could do. Was there? Hands shaking, Kel softly placed Remia's hands over her chest and closed the woman's eyes.

"May the Dark God welcome you to happiness and bliss. May the Goddess bless, Remia Stone," she muttered in Yamani. 

She crawled back into her cell and closed the door between them final time, mulling over her thoughts. Was she really going to go through with her new intentions? What if her suspicions were based on a whim, and she was wrong completely. No, she thought rebelliously. Remia was now dead, but her last warning echoed in her mind. She was just a pawn in King Maggur's big plan. A pawn who had power that no one knew about.

When the guard didn't knock on Kel's door the next morning, and didn't give her any food, Kel knew something was wrong. Ignoring she stomach's growls, she waited another night. The next morning, no guard, no food. Grimacing, Kel tried to open the door. Locked. She rummaged through the straw in her cell and miraculously found a piece of rusted metal. After a couple tense seconds of juggling it in the keyhole, she heard a click. The door swung open. The castle was deserted.

(a/n: sorry its been a while! And its so short! But I gotta go to school! Aaaaaaaa! Well, please r/r!)


	6. An

a/n: hello again. Sorry it took so long for me to update. As you probably noticed, I made a couple errors in the new chapter because I forgot to refer to previous chapters. Like whether or not Kel cried over Remia. Its up to you I guess if u imagine her crying or not. well that's all for now I think.-


	7. Realization and Peiden

Kel staggered to her feet and gulped. She wondered if her perception of an empty castle was an illusion. Bitterly she wished she could have her griffin-band at that moment. Finally she mustered enough courage to peek around one corner. When she found no guard waiting to ambush her, she tried another corner. Nothing. Finally her pursuits led her to Maggur's study.

_I don't want you. I want for your country to not have you. _

Maggur's words rang through her mind and propelled her forward. She needed to know what was going on. The Scanran King's quarters were puzzlingly neat. She had expected him to be the messy type. Luckily, piles of papers were stacked neatly on his desk. She rummaged through them. A leaf of paper dropped to the floor. Curious, Kel bent down to see it. After reading it, she felt sick. Before her were the orders that could possibly lead to Tortall's downfall. Even if Tortall had been able to stave off Scanra's earlier advances, now Kel's people were relaxed, the war having ended. She cursed.

_Let me guess…your amazing heroes will be: Lord Raoul…Oh I hope so. Duke Baird's son. A company of knights…and the King's Own?_

Swaying, Kel dropped to her knees. Her world spun. If her friend's had started a rescue, they would meet Maggur's entire army head-on. It was too much. She fainted.

Kel awoke groggily. Someone was sponging her forehead. She opened a weary eye and saw a man of about her age, with short blond hair and mysterious green eyes. She scrambled away from him. 

"Don't touch me!" she barked on Scanran. Innocently he lowered his hands.

"You need not worry, Keladry. I won't hurt you. I have information for you. Maggur and his armies have left. They will soon meet up with your friends. You don't have much time!"

She drew a sharp breath. "Who are you?"

"My name is Peiden. I was once in Maggur's army. Needless to say I deserted, at great risk. But now you must get up, and go!"

Kel stood and shook her head to clear her thinking. She wasn't sure if she could trust Peiden. "What could I do to stop them, anyhow?"

Peiden boldly rested his hand on her shoulder. His gaze was captivating. "We kill Maggur Rathausak. It must be done. You're the only one to do it, anyway. Or would you prefer the Lioness, Lord Raoul, Sirs Nealan, Merric, Owen, Faleron, Seaver, Esmond, and Sergeant Domitan to die?"

"We?" Kel repeated.

"We."

(a/n: sorry sorry sorry sorry! I was going to make this chapter WAY longer but I kept getting distracted so I guess I'll have to have 10 reviews before I update again!!!!!)


	8. Peiden's story

Peiden led Kel to a near-empty armory, informing her on Maggur's advantages and weaknesses the whole way. She stared at him with rapt attention, captivated be his looks and personality. There was something intriguing about him. Dimly she realized he was speaking to her. Finally he shoved her lightly.

"Lady Knight Keladry? Are you okay?" He held a sword in one hand and a bow in the other. Seeing her confusion, he promptly held out both. "Which do you prefer?"

"Sword," she mumbled, trying to keep her Yamani mask in place. Quickly she reached out to take the offered weapon.

"I suppose you want to know more about me. It's a long story, really. But I think we have a bit of time to spare. We can't pursue Maggur till dark, anyway.

"I didn't grow up here in Hamrkeng. I actually come from a village to the east, called Gwispear. It was a nice little place, with a mill, nice surroundings, and good hunting. When I was about 13 years old bandits burned near all of it to the ground, killing my whole family. I had no choice but to run away--"

Kel had just realized something. "You don't have a Scanran accent," she accused.

Peiden laughed. "That's right, I moved to Dart Creek. That's just over the Tortallan border. A man named Curtus raised me right proper. But the townspeople harried me about being Scanran so badly that finally I couldn't take it. I ran away…Again. I wound up here in Hamrkeng. By then I was 17. Soldiers of the Red Army--that's Maggur's army's name--found me and conscripted me. So I wound up soldiering. Two years ago I was stationed over the border, during the war, and realized that I didn't have a stomach for Scanran-style of fightin'- wars. So, by the time we came back home, I decided to get out. So I did, and here I am. I've been hiding around the city since. But then I heard you were here, and my instincts tell me I need to help you out. But don't be fooled. I'm a bad man."

Sometime during his story Kel had slid to the ground. She stood with a chuckle.

"My old knight-master use to say that. Goddess, I miss him."

"Lord Raoul?" Peiden leaned forward anxiously.

Kel arched an eyebrow, hesitant. She wondered how he knew that Raoul had indeed been her knight-master. "Well, yes…"

"I knew it!" Peiden said triumphantly. At Kel's inquiring look, he explicated. "I have the gift, you see. And I was looking in on your rescue group, and he was among them. I could sense the presence of the others, of course. But he baffled me. Now I understand." He stretched out his hand. A ball of foggy-blue colored fire appeared. Peiden grinned and clenched his fist. The magic disappeared.

Kel peered out the small window. Surprisingly, the sun was sinking behind the trees. She scooped up her sword and jerked her head in the direction of the door.

"Sun's going down. Let's go."

(A/n: I know! Short again! But you guys still havent compensated for all the reviews you woe me! *sniggers* come ON! Please?)


	9. Ideas

Raoul and Alanna rode side-by-side at the head of their small column. Their conversations were short and blunt. No one felt much like talking freely or joking on such a grave journey. Dom, scowling, finally coughed and took a breath.

"Sir? Lady Alanna? I do believe that we should conduct some sort of plan. Unless I miss my guess, we aren't far now."

"Far from what?" Faleron snapped. We don't know where she is."

Merric twisted in his saddle to get a better look at his cousin. "Well Fal, we have a pretty good guess. Hamrkeng. Where else? I mean, it's the capital, and Maggot is there," he argued.  
"I suppose," Owen piped up. He was standing in his stirrups, straining to hear the thread of conversation in the front of the line.

"Goddess!" Snapped Alanna. She reined her mount to a stop and turned him around. "Use your senses, boys. No, we don't have a solid plan yet, but then again, we don't have any solid information yet. So, if you greenies want something to mull over, then fine. Our intentions are to find out where they're keeping Keladry, sneak in, take her, and sneak out."

Raoul laid a large hand on her shoulder. "Easy, Alanna," he whispered into her ear. "They're just worried, and I think we'll all go crazy if it stays silent like this."

The column of riders broke up as every man tried to voice his opinion.

"Well, I say we need a solid plan _now_, considering we'll be going to war the moment we have her. Remember the treaty?" Esmond stated.  
"How in Mithros's name are we supposed to sneak into a castle?" Mused Seaver.

Raoul raised his hand for silence. It went unnoticed. Taking a breath, he roared "Silence!" over the din. It immediately had an effect. The men quieted and formed a line again.

They rode for another hour or so before camping. Esmond and Seaver went on a scouting detail. When they came back, the were both pale.

"Maggur's whole gods-cursed army," hissed Seaver. "Not more'n two miles away!"

(A/n: I know its been a while, but I had spring break, and now I'm grounded from the computer, so SSSSHHHHH! I have to sneak on to write. That's why theyre all so short)


	10. Betrayal

Kel and Peiden stealthily snuck out of the castle, wary despite their seemingly empty surroundings. Peiden had gathered haversacks, supplies, and rations while Kel inspected the extra horses at the stable.

"Do you really think we should bring horses? They may be too loud," Peiden asked her.

She nodded distractedly, running her hand over a dun gelding's withers. "Maggur and his army are all on horses. If we want to catch up, we ride." She led the dun and a gray out of their stables. "Here, take the gelding. He's better suited to you."

Resignedly Peiden took the lead rein into his hand. They quickly tacked up and rode into the forest. Kel let Peiden lead. He knew which way Maggur had gone. They rode for the better part of the night. Finally Kel called for a stop.  
"We can't be far now," she mused, and signaled to dismount.  
"I say we go on foot from now on. It's too risky otherwise," advised Peiden.  
Kel nodded mutely and removed her horse's tack. Peiden did the same, and slapped his dun's rump with a loud _smack_. It bolted, headed towards the stable. Kel followed suit, smacking her mount. As she watched it gallop away, she remembered that Dom's extra steed, Storm, was the same color. A wave of homesickness overcame her. She leaned against an elm, head buried in her arms.  
"Keladry, what's the matter?" Peiden whispered, concerned.

She took a breath and faced him. "I just miss my old friends so much."

Wordlessly Peiden embraced her in a tight hug. Kel stiffened, then relaxed, comforted in his strong arms. Suddenly a vision of Dom, her lover, popped into her head. She pulled away from Peiden.  
"Sorry," she mumbled. "It's just, I have--you know--someone back home."

He reddened. "Oh, pardon. I didn't know."

She patted him on the arm. "Let's get going."

They walked for another hour or so, stopping once to have a snack of apples and cheese. Finally they spotted the fires from Maggur's camp. Quietly they crept in to investigate.  
"There you are, Keladry!" Boomed a voice behind them. Startled, Kel turned to see Maggur and his escort of ten guards looming over them. "Peiden, thank you for bringing her."

Kel looked at Peiden in shock. He shook his head in horror, and averted his gaze. Four guards roughly dragged him away.

"Well, Keladry, you played right into my hands. Now, I can say you tried to escape, therefore flouting the agreement. So, I get to go to war. This is exactly as I planned!" Maggur let out a hearty laugh. It echoed through the trees, creating a desolate, despairing feeling in Kel's stomach.

"That's not true," she growled. "_You_ ruined the treaty! You were going to attack Tortall without provocation!"

Maggur smiled menacingly. "Yet no one will back that up. Firing squad! Kindly bind the Lady Knight to an execution post."

(A/n: *sighs* YES, I was going to leave it at that, considering I LIKE reviews and you guys almost never give me any L ! But that would be mean, PLUS I'm still grounded and my mom isn't home AND I've been sick for 3 days so this is a perfect time to write more. Plus I just want to.) (p.s. thanks to the people that DO review!!)

Kel didn't struggle as 8 men tied her tightly to a post. Instead, she stared at Peiden with grief and disappointment. Again he shook his head and mouthed: "I didn't do it!"

"Firing squad…ready!" Yelled Maggur.

Kel lifted her head to look at him. Hatred burned from her gaze. "Someone will give proof that it is your fault of the deaths to come. Not fault of mine, not fault of Tortall. Someone has to!"

"And who would dare do that?" Maggur hissed. "Firing squad…Aim!"

(A/n: I changed my mind. I want at LEAST 10 reviews before I finish. Hehehe)


	11. Rescue?

Kel lifted her head to look at him. Hatred burned from her gaze. "Someone will give proof that it is your fault of the deaths to come. Not fault of mine, not fault of Tortall. Someone has to!"

"And who would dare do that?" Maggur hissed. "Firing squad…Aim!"

"I will."

The men in the firing squad spun around, and their arrows flew wildly into the air. Raoul had risen from his crouch in the bushes, pale with fear for Kel. He put on a brave face, however, and signaled his friends up. As one they stood.

"Reload!" Maggur screamed. "Reload and take them down!"

Alanna yelled and held her sword aloft. It shone violet with her magic. At her command, a jet of fire lashed at the Scanrans, instantly killing a score of them. As fighting ensued, Dom crawled over to where Kel was tied.

"Dom!" she whispered excitedly. He looked up at her with a jaunty smile.

"Thought we'd drop by for a visit," he chuckled.

"The King must not know," she hissed.

He motioned for her to look around, cutting her bonds as he did so. She surveyed her surroundings, noting the important figures there. So what if the King didn't approve! She was going home…hopefully.

Alanna beckoned to Neal. He hurried over, sword glimmering in his fist. Kel watched them as she rubbed her chafed wrists. Suddenly Neal and Alanna raised their hands. The skies overhead lightened. The sun thrust its first rays over the tops of the towering pines. Kel reached for the sword that Maggur had neglected to take from her and fought her way over to Neal. As she reached them, the two mages shouted a word simultaneously. A fiery sheet of magic instantly surrounded the Tortallans, allowing them a chance to catch their breath. Raoul leapt forward and pulled Kel into a tight hug. Then came Neal, Alanna, Merric, and the rest of the party.

"Well, it's like de ja vu all over again, eh?" claimed Dom. "First Kel's captured, then we HEROICALLY save her. Haha!" He slapped Kel on the shoulder.

"Good to see you again, Kel," Raoul said.

Without warning the magical sheild disappeared as quickly as it formed. Arrows rained upon Kel and her group. With a stifled cry Owen fell, clutching his shoulder. Soon Seaver was felled by an arrow. As the rescue party's number dwindled, Kel gathered Raoul and Alanna.

"We need to take action!" Kel urged. Alanna frowned.

"There is something I could do, but I would be useless for fighting…" Alanna said slowly.

"Do it!" Raoul and Kel said at the same time. 

Alanna nodded determinedly and closed her eyes. A violet sheild came up again, and soon solidified. The Lioness leaned back against the wall, eyes clenched shut in concentration, fists balled up, and sweat dripping down her neck.

Neal crouched down next to Owen and Seaver, who were laying side-by-side. Green fire streamed from his fingertips, and he settled into the healing process.

Kel viewed it all, feeling sick. Alanna couldn't last forever. Maybe longer than most, but not forever. They needed a plan. With Raoul conferring with Dom, Kel felt as if she were in charge. They needed a plan….

(A/n: yup, short again. But I have work to do. I'll probably post again tomorrow.)


	12. Decisions

Nervously Kel plucked at her lip. Her face betrayed none of her emotions. Only the sweat trickling down her neck notified Raoul that she was troubled.

"It's okay, Kel," he assured her.

"No, it's not. She won't hold out any longer. It's been three days." Suddenly angry, Kel motioned to Alanna's prone figure slumped in the shadows. "She's barely the energy to keep the barrier up. When she runs out of power, we run out of time. I haven't come up with a single idea to help us."

Raoul dropped to a crouch. He picked up a stick to sketch into the beaten earth at their feet. "Well, we have ten fighters, compared to their four hundred, and--"

"Sir? Four hundred?" Kel interrupted. "On my last count at the capital Maggur had three thousand strong."

"That's true, but roughly twenty-five hundred marched away last night, so that's 40-1 odds. Hm… I don't like that. Well let's see…."

Alanna's head shot into the air. With one swift movement, she was on her feet. Swaying, she stared at Raoul.

"Alanna, what--?" the big knight spluttered.

"Someone's trying to get through the barrier. I don't have the strength to stop them," she whispered weakly.

The air in front of Kel flickered, and next moment, a slightly distorted image of Peiden was standing in front if her. Furious, Kel raised her fist, forgetting that he was only an image.

"Easy, Kel," Peiden cautioned. She shook her head in disgust and walked away. "I just wanted to tell Alanna to drop the shields, for her safety. Otherwise Numair Salmalí n will have to force-break it. I think her power would shatter."

Raoul started forward. "Why in Mithros is Numair here?" he demanded. The sleeping figures of Kel's companions stirred.

"A good part of the King's army is here, along with Numair and the King. I guess he misses his friends," responded Peiden. He noticed Alanna's disbelieving look and sighed. "I called to them in the fire three days ago, the first chance I got," he explained. "I told him how Maggur broke the peace treaty and was now besieging you all."

Dom rubbed sleep from his eyes and joined his commanders. "But you betrayed Kel. Why would you help us now?"

"I did NOT betray Kel!" Peiden said indignantly. "It nearly killed me, to see her loathe me like that! But I don't want to intrude. I suspect you're the one she mentioned." He bowed shortly to Dom, Alanna, and Raoul, then the image disappeared. Alanna smiled vaguely. 

"Everyone, wake up!" Raoul shouted, rousing the sleeping men. "Alanna's dropping the shield, and I pray to the Goddess that this isn't a trick!"

"Well, here goes," Alanna whispered. The wall vanished.

(A/n: wow! Short again! Surprise surprise! But I REALLY like reviews and I haven't even gotten past 55 yet! SOOOO ( I know I'm mean) I want a good 15 reviews before you get to find out if Jon really came to the rescue, or is Peiden is even more of a traitor!!!!!!!!!!!!)


	13. Remembering

Whether Dom expected to be confronted by 400 angry Scanrans, or killed on the spot at the shield's dissapearance, he was in for a surprise. Not only were there 400 Scanrans. There were well over 3000! Only not the way he expected to see them. Every enemy soldier was placed in a group of twenty and tied securely, stripped of weapons, and heavily guarded by a batch of Tortallan men. And waiting with smiling faces at the front of it all were King Jonathan and Numair Salmalin.

"We had hoped you would come before this," Raoul said cheerfully.

Jon chuckled. "Well, when you departed, Alanna made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with me…again. Mind you, I'm not blaming the fair lady in the least." He bowed deeply in Alanna's direction, smiling. She shook her head and took his hand.

"I've worn out my gift, and can't keep standing for much longer. Relieve me, please." She closed her eyes and allowed Jonathan's magic to enter her body. Immediately she sighed in relief. "Finally! We can head home."

"What about them?" Numair asked, jerking his head to where the Scanrans were bound.

"Nothing about them," Alanna sad firmly. "All we need is to bring Maggot, and the army will break up."

They all turned to look at Maggur, who was tied tightly at the back. Numair gasped in surprise at what he saw. Peiden and Kel, swords drawn, were poised to behead the king of Scanra. Raoul rushed over to them.

"What are you doing?" he hissed, grabbing his ex-squire's arm.

"It's his fault! His fault! And now he has to pay for that!" Kel grunted, pulling loose of Raoul's hold.

"No!" Jon yelled. "Keladry, you can't do that!"

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do!" Kel said. She lowered her voice, remembering the advice Raoul gave her long ago about not bearding a monarch in public. "You weren't held captive by him, with scant food in a dark cell. You weren't practically tortured when he tried to extract secret information from me…about you! You didn't have to live with the burden of your country's fate in your hands, being careful not to put one toe out of line, even if the alternative is death! And you didn't have to watch Remia Stone die in his hands. You never did." She was shaking in suppressed rage now. "I had a dream last night--a vision. Some of Remia's last words were a warning to me, but she never got around to telling me. No, she died. But last night I found out what she was trying to tell me. I _saw_ what would have happened. But someone changed that fate. The fate of Tortall, myself, and all of you. Peiden did. He changed it all. I realize now that by unknowingly setting me up, and by going against his teachings to help me, he saved us all. Otherwise, Maggur would have…" She trailed off and turned her head away.

Kel felt gentle, callused hands on her cheek. "None of us will ever know what you've been through. But it's over. Now, the healing process has begun, and you must try to forget."

"I don't want to forget," Kel whispered softly. "Remia Stone doesn't deserve to be forgotten. I must remember."

************

(A/n: um….the end? I was going to put an epilogue and stuff that told what happened to Maggur and how they went and buried Remia, but I REALLY want to get started on my next story! SO if you REALLY REALLY want an epilogue, I guess I could write one….But I'd rather start my new story. It's going to be called: "We Will Miss Them" if you want to now what it's about, I suggest you re-read Jon's speech to the pages and squires at the beginning of First Test. *hint hint* but yea I'm excited for this one.)


	14. Epilogue

(A/n: CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??? AND EPILOGUE! It took me long enough…)

Keladry of Mindelan his her emotions behind a stony mask as the last bit of dirt of scooped onto Remia's grave. A large hand clapped her on the shoulder.

"You've done well, Kel," Raoul said softly. "And have you seen this workforce we have now? Mithros!" He whistled in appreciation. It was true; all of King Maggur's former army had been sent to mining in the north of working lumber yards. Tortall was enjoying a long holiday.

"Have the councils come to an agreement yet about Maggur?" She asked him, eyes still locked on Remia's final resting place.

"Life imprisonment," he informed her. She shuddered. "I know," the commander said sympathetically, correctly interpreting her tension. "he deserves worse. But what worse can we give him? Death is too easy an escape."

Finally Kel faced Raoul. "You're right, Sir. Of course you are. But…if you don't mind. I need to be alone.

Raoul nodded and left as Kel trudged slowly back to her rooms. Someone was waiting for her there.

"Dome," she said in surprise, not bothering to hide it. "What are you doing here?"

He wrapped his arms around her, blue eyes glinting with an emotion foreign to Kel. "I need to talk to you, Kel. I've been going about this all wrong." He kissed her softly, quickly. 

"What have you been doing wrong, Dom?"

"Courting you. I think we need to talk more, make more public appearances." He winked. "And I'll have you know that I have every intention of marrying you. Just not quite yet." The sergeant kissed her again, this time longer and more passionately. "See you around, Protector of the Small!" Confidently he strode away, whistling softly. Kel touched her lips, her face blank. Then, for the first time in weeks, she smiled.

THE END


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